BANNING, Calif. — A past award to expand the Indio jail stopped Riverside County’s effort to attain $80 million more in state funding this year to renovate the 1,520-bed Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. County officials want to renovate 384 beds at the facility as well as add a 100-bed special needs housing unit and medical clinic, according to The Press Enterprise.
COVELO, Calif. — County jails will be competing for the about $500 million from Governor Jerry Brown’s 2015-2016 budget proposal allotted to the latest round of facilities funding to help offset the effects of California realignment, aka AB 109.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last month to take steps toward the construction of a new jail in San Jose. They agreed to move forward with design work required in order to compete with other counties for part of the $500 million in jail funding from the state, which should be granted later this year.
ADELANTO, Calif. — Initially designed to add 896 beds, the expansion of the Adelanto Detention Center will include an additional 1,368 to meet the demands of the California realignment act.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Some counties in Florida are worried about a current proposal on the table that could shift about 5,600 inmates from state prisons to county jails.
So why the sudden shift in the state? It is all about money, of course. The Department of Corrections claim that the proposal can reduce costs and save the state about $47.7 million a year, according to documents filed with Gov. Rick Scott’s office.
The California Legislature has concluded business for the year and Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 was Governor Brown’s deadline to act on all legislation pending on his desk for the 2012 legislative session. Although the Legislature will convene for organizational session on Dec. 3, 2012, it will largely resume its work in January 2013.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California became the primary guinea pig in the prison industry after federal judges ordered the cash-strapped state to reduce its prison population within two years, starting in May of 2011, due to unsafe levels of prison overcrowding, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed Senate Bill 100 into law on July 9, 2012, after unanimous approval in both chambers of the legislature. The governor is hoping the bill will back up his self-characterization as a prison reformer, as sources say the bill could save hundreds of millions of dollars over a five-year period. His opponents argue that Corbett’s budget still includes $685 million to construct more than 5,000 new prison beds.
Correctional News columnist Tony Turpin offers expert advice for the corrections industry. Turpin retired with 30 years of service with the Georgia Department of Corrections, beginning as a corrections officer in 1980 and finishing as a state supervisor. In 2007, Turpin became a founding partner and principal with Detention Management Group, and a principal with Southern and Associates.
FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Solano County has design plans in hand for a new jail in Fairfield, Calif., which will help combat overcrowding in the county’s two other jail facilities. The county is currently seeking contracting bids for the project, which is slated for completion in 2014.
Recognizing longtime and emerging industry leaders.
Winners announced at annual Corrections Summit.
